By relying on its armed forces Beijing hopes to pay less than a third of $1.8 billion (918 million pounds) previous-host Athens paid for security.

- By relying on its armed forces Beijing hopes to pay less than a third of $1.8 billion (918 million pounds) - (Reuters) - Two men were arrested after a bomb attack killed 16 paramilitary police in China's restive northwestern region of Xinjiang on Monday, four days before the Beijing Games open.

China, which says it has already cracked domestic terrorist plots targeting the Olympics, has taken sweeping steps to secure the Games against protests or attacks.

Here are some facts about security at the August 8-24 Games.

SCREENING VISITORS

-- Visa rules have tightened. Travellers must now show a return air ticket and a hotel booking before buying a visa.

-- Hong Kong, host of Olympic equestrian events and a major gateway to China, has created a watchlist of unwelcome activists, and brought in new visa restrictions ahead of the Games.

-- Interpol is to give Beijing airport and other major border entry points access to its database of more than 14 million lost or stolen travel documents.

SECURITY CAPABILITIES

- A 100,000-strong security force, including the elite Snow Wolf Commando Unit, is already on alert for terrorists.

-- 300,000 surveillance cameras watch the city.

-- Since May, the team of People's Liberation Army (PLA) engineers in charge of Games security checks and emergency rescues has run daily drills on finding and defusing explosives, rescuing and evacuating people from damaged buildings.

-- The U.N. nuclear watchdog has trained Chinese security personnel to respond to radiological attacks -- such as a "dirty bomb" -- in which radioactive material is released.

BEIJING - Unidentified members of the U.S. cycling squad arrived at Beijing airport wearing black respiratory masks, a U.S. Olympic committee spokesman said on Tuesday.
One woman wearing a mask which covered the nose and mouth was in what appeared to be an American team T-shirt, photographs showed. A male wore a white T-shirt with BEIJING in black letters across the chest.

"I suspect it was their choice, you would have to talk to them as to what prompted them to do this. I will say this, I am not a scientist, but in my view that was unnecessary," said Darryl Seibel, chief communications officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

A U.S. team official said members of the cycling squad were wearing the masks but declined further comment.
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